One of the lessons I teach my 5th grade students is how words have negative and positive connotations. Typically, as an example, I use my physical appearance:
“Some people would say I am skin and bones. Others would say
I am lean.” I would say. “Which one has a negative connotation?”
“Skin and bones,” students usually blurt.
Now imagine you and your best friend get into a fight over
the last donut. You both want the delectable, cream-filled work of art, but
instead of sacrificing your taste buds’ desire to consume the donut to preserve
the bond you have formed with your best friend, you fight over it with
catfighting, sarcasm, name calling, and eventually, mocking. Mocking.
Why is mocking associated with arguments and mostly unnecessary fighting. Meaning, why does mocking have a negative connotation? Mocking seems to introduce itself the moment nothing else works; like an offensive strategy that presumably gives those who use it an edge on the argument. As if we somehow got to the point of believing mocking can blow through the defenses of its opponent. But, it’s not just humans that do this to one another. Birds do this too. Please welcome, the Northern Mockingbird:
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*Note: I am the owner of these photos and took them.
Is this bird a bad boy because it has the word mocking? I’ll let you be the judge:
According to a 5th grade comprehension passage
about the Mockingbird on I-Ready.com, “These birds can imitate just about any
sound they hear. These sounds include those of other birds, animals, or
objects. Mockingbirds can sound like a washing machine, a doorbell, or even
squeaky door hinges.”
If you don’t think that’s annoying, you haven’t heard it
all.
“And unlike other birds, mockingbirds LOVE to sing at night,
especially when people are trying to sleep.”
Unless it’s “Graves Into Gardens,” by Elevation Worship or
“Innocence” by Kenny G, I’m pretty sure imitating a song in the middle of the
night at the expense of one’s peaceful sleep is a negative thing.
But if mocking is similar to imitating, like the mockingbird
does, we should be like the mockingbird when it comes to being like Jesus.
Ephesians 5:1-2 says it best:
“Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do,
because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the
example of Christ…” (NLT)
So while the Northern Mockingbird is out there annoyingly
following the example of your Maytag washing machine from Home Depot, you are
called to follow Christ’s example – in a positive connotation sort of way.
At the end of the day, it seems mocking could be about
semantics and what the context is. When you hear the word "mock" and "Jesus" in the same sentence, it is probably not a pleasant experience. You, similar to me, are likely thinking about when the Chief
Priests mocked Jesus as he was being tortured and crucified on the cross for
our sins and theirs (see Matthew 27:41). I am not saying the mocking Jesus in
that sort of way is a good thing.
But if we’re thinking of mocking the way the bird does it by
“imitation” of other things it is around, we may be onto something here.
After all, when it comes to imitating other birds, it’s not
just one voice they mimic: “A mockingbird may combine the songs of 32 different
bird species plus other sounds in a 10-minute song.”
Though it would be interesting to know the reasons they do
this, the point being made in connection to Jesus is that we are called to
imitate his voice in our daily lives. As Christians, the role we play should be
to sound like Jesus in a world where it is very tempting to “Do you.”
Our world is filled with excuses to be individualistic – all
around are billboards, advertisements, and commercials promoting you in an
effort to convince you to buy their product. Recently, I saw an advertisement on
TV during an NBA game break and its slogan is “Worship Yourself.” Speaking of
the NBA, athletes are more frequently “doing what’s best for them” when it
comes to making a decision to opt out of their contract and sign elsewhere. The
star athlete and his agent believe they have been loyal enough or that their
chapter in life has come to an end and it's on to something new. In some case,
it is justified, but too often, it doesn’t have to happen.
Documented and instructed all throughout Scripture, God commands
us to be imitators of Christ – to copy the way Jesus lived life and to study his
ways carefully:
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“Do not merely listen to
the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone
who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks
at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself,
goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But
whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and
continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be
blessed in what they do.” – James 1:22-25
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“Dear friend, do not imitate what is
evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who
does what is evil has not seen God.” – 3rd John 1:11
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“Therefore, everyone who hears these words of
mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the
rock.” – Matthew 7:24
These are just a few examples, and what they all have in
common are the words “doing” and “practice.” If we do what the Word tells us, believing
it and practicing what it commands us to do, we are imitating the Christian standard
set for men and woman who follow Christ.
We are mockingbirds, mimicking and imitating the sounds of whatever we worship and desire. If it is fashion, self, or the shiniest gadgets; if it is saving money, bitcoin, or investing in the stock market; if it is video games, fatty foods, and late nights binge-watching Neflix, we will imitate that sort of life in what we fill our minds with, how we fill our day, and why we behave the way we do. If I am to live my life wisely and go through it imitating anything, it should be Scripture, the way Jesus treated others, and God's call in my life.
Therefore, if “mocking” is associated with the word imitating, than
I would be happy to mock Jesus.
